Tag Archives: 3D printers

We’re not exactly sure how small the monkey skull above is, but we’re fairly certain that each dot that makes up its surface (you can see some granularity on the image) is a little bigger than one quarter of one percent the width of a human hair. That’s small. It’s being shown to you to demonstrate what the machine that printed it is capable of. But then they’re not making monkey skulls to show off, scientists at The University of Texas at Austin are using the tech to print elaborate microscopic scaffolds which are then filled with specific kinds of bacteria, in order to determine the influence that their spacial distribution has on their pathogenecity, or their ability to infect. The structures are created with a laser, which focuses in a special jello-like resin that hardens with heat. At it’s smallest focal point, the laser beam is the size mentioned earlier, and so it creates the structure point by point, layer by layer. That right there is some cool tech, and we’re excited to hear that 3D printers are being used to make more than just fancy iPhone cases.

If you want to showcase your love for an emerging segment of the consumer electronics industry, while also letting the world know that you’re somewhat of a proud geek, you could do a lot worse than to don the above 3D printed bow tie. It’s easy to wear because you don’t tie it, you don’t buckle it, you simply slot it over the top button of your shirt and it holds in place. It’s light, distinguished and arguably elegant. What’s less exciting is the fact that you’ll have to pay $115 to own it if you don’t have a 3D printer of your own along with some CAD skills.

Given that the iPhone pictured is likely a 4S, you’ll correctly surmise that the above product isn’t exactly new. In fact, the iPhone Mashup Shoe by Alan Nguyen was created some time in 2012 and exhibited at the Milan Design Week in 2012 and the Maison et Objet show in Paris, again in 2012. But it doesn’t matter, since we’re pretty sure that a good number of you guys haven’t seen it and as impractical as the actual shoe is (who wants to bend down to their feet just to answer the phone?), we think it’s a great example of the kind of things 3D printers are capable of. The shoes were commissioned by Freedom Of Creation for FreshFiber, a company that makes “personalized 3D accessories.”

There isn’t whole lot more to say about them. We’re not sure you can even buy them, but you can hit the jump and look at two more pictures, and links.

Another day, another 3D printer, and that’s definitely a good thing. The more of these on the market, they cheaper they’ll get. Case in point is the Buccaneer by a company called Pirate3D, pictured above. If things go as planned, it should cost all of $347. That’s what people were paying for regular printers 10 years ago, and most definitely within the range a regular household might be willing to pay for what is still early adopter technology. Admittedly inspired from Apple products, the Pirate3D has an obvious Mac aesthetic and is made from stamped steel parts to keep manufacturing costs low. Its resolution is on par with similar printers, going as low as 100 microns, and with a top speed of 50 millimeters per second (approximately 2 in/s). It’s got an air filter to keep fumes at bay, and has a striking top-loading central cartridge to make loading and unloading the plastic filaments as easy as possible. On a desk, it takes up just a small space of 25 x 25cm (9.8 x 9.8 in), though its actual printing area covers 150 x 100 x 120 mm (5.8 x 3.9 x 4.7 in).

The company plans to start taking pre-orders soon and has applied to Kickstarter to be able to complete its funding. More pics and links, after the jump.

The market for 3D printers is getting increasingly competitive, with entrants betting on various distinguishing features. Some aim for greater resolution while others go for low cost. The Gigabot from re:3D instead is betting that being able to print larger objects will be enough to get you to swallow its $2,750 price tag. For this sum you get a 24-cubic-inch (393 cc) build envelope (24 inches on each side, for those of you geometrically challenged), at a resolution of 100 microns, which is pretty standard. With a build envelope this large, you can print more small objects at once, or simply make bigger things than you could have with other machines.

The Kickstarter campaign is fully funded, and as a matter of fact, also appears to be sold out. We’re not sure when more will be made, but considering the delivery date on these ones is in November, you better be patient if you had big printing projects in mind.

We truly feel that this product is awesome. No… freaking awesome! The 3Doodler is a special pen with which you can actually draw a 3D figure in the air. You can, as the company says, “lift your imagination off the page.” If you can wave your finger in the air to trace something, you can use the 3Doodler. At the press of a button, it melts and extrudes the same kind of plastic filament used in 3D printers, which hardens immediately, leaving a solid line of plastic which you can then connect to others you’ve already placed. Draw up, down, in circles… it doesn’t matter. The plastic is surprisingly solid once laid, and can support intricate designs. The kind of designs that result are very similar to that of wire artists, and in fact the company is partnering with successful Etsy wire artists to showcase what the device can do.

If you think you won’t know how to use this, there are also stencils you can use to draw building blocks to more intricate structures, like the Eiffel tower pictured above. And the best part in all this? The cost: $75 gets you a pen, along with 2 bags of plastic. A bag contains ten 1ft. strands, which makes about 11ft. of filaments.

Is it exciting? Yes, and the project has gone viral. Barely 24 hours old, they’ve blown past their $30,000 funding goal 33 times over as of this writing. But it’s still not too late to order yours with delivery in time for the Holidays.

OhGizmo! is a frequently updated blog that focuses on covering items that will appeal to a very specific and often very passionate audience: the geek. Aside from the fare of innovative consumer electronic products, the reader can expect to find news about geek culture, absurd inventions, awe inspiring technology, and an ever growing assortment of articles that we like to think fit within our view of what we’re calling the Geek Lifestyle.